The Prophecy
by siobhan-ohare
Summary: After Buffy's death, Angel is finding it hard to continue- until the one thing he needs most is brought back to him. Then Cordelia has a vision...
1. Chapter 1

Angel's POV Angel was alive. Buffy was alive. They were sharing a romantic, moonlit picnic on the beach and they were in the middle of a passionate embrace. Things were beginning to move into the NC-17 direction, with her hands fumbling to unfasten his belt buckle and him halfway through unbuttoning her blouse when...  
  
"Angel! Wake up! Lorne was just on the phone, you've gotta ring him back, and about a ton of mail came for you this morning. Also, Wesley is downstairs driving me mad with all his 'Cordelia, go get Angel' and 'I need Angel, Cordelia' type harping! And Gunn's late-again!" Cordy yelled from my bedroom door.  
"Buffy?" I asked, stupidly, as I was still half-asleep.  
"No, not Buffy," she told me gently, "get up, Angel."  
"I don't want to get up yet. Me and Buffy, we were, I-I mean, she, we..." I trailed off unhappily, realising that it had all been a dream, and that neither me nor Buffy were alive, and I could never smile again. "Yeah, whatever. Would you leave my room so I can get dressed?" I scowled at her, furious because she woke me up from my heavenly dream.  
She looked at me sympathetically, her worry for me obvious in her eyes. "Sure, just - hurry up, okay? she murmered as she left my room.  
I have tried to cheer up, but I just can't. Whenever I smile or laugh, I see her grave in front of my eyes and I just feel likedying. I've been depressed for five months. Even being at that monastery in Tibet didn't help. Every day I try to forget the day we returned from Pylea to find a teary-eyed Willow waiting in the lobby of the Hyperion...  
*~*~*~*  
The group burst through the door, an exuberant Angel in the lead, shortly followed by Cordelia, then Gunn and Wesley, with a shy Fred at the rear. All five of them were laughing as Angel called out, "Can I say it? I wanna say it!" and then, without waiting for an answer, he continued, "There's no place like-" he broke off as he saw the little red-headed Wiccan, who just happed to be the best friend of his soulmate, sitting in the lobby, -Willow?" he finished, the happy atmosphere replaced with a worried one as Cordelia asked, "What's...?" Angel was about to repeat the question when he saw that the red-head's usually perky smile wasn't in place, her eyes were red-rimmed, teary and filled with pain and grief, her cheeks tear-stained and she looked tired enough to collapse. Suddenly he felt cold dread in the pit of his stomach, spreading upwards as he answered Cordelia's question in a monotonous voice,  
  
"It's Buffy," he looked at Willow, his face expressionless, but his eyes pleading with her to tell him that he was wrong, and that Buffy was as perfectly happy and healthy as always. But instead, she stared at him for a couple of seconds, and then burst into tears.  
"No," came Cordy's panicked voice, "No, you- you're lying! You have to be lying!" she shook her head frantically in denial. "Angel?" she looked up at him for comfort and reassurance, and then caught herself as she realised who he was. "Oh. My, God. Oh, Angel, I'm so sor-" She shut her mouth abruptly as he cut her off.  
"How?" he asked, his voice still toneless, but his eyes betraying his feelings. The immense pain, hurt, grief and loss that were there made Gunn shudder as he looked into them, and then ushered Fred and Wesley out of the lobby, and followed them without a last look back to allow Willow to inform Angel and Cordelia of the loss of the Slayer.  
*~*~*~*  
"Damn!" he exclaimed when they were out of earshot.  
"Who's Buffy?" Fred asked hesitantly, "Is she Cordelia's friend? I got the feeling that Angel didn't like her much. He didn't sound very upset back there,"  
"Didn't like her much? Phew! You obviously didn't see his eyes back there. And trust me, you didn't want to. Whaddya think, Wes'? We gonna have to 'cuff him to his bed to stop him from greetin' the sunrise one 'o' these mornin's?"  
"Quite possibly. Oh dear. Buffy's...,Well, oh goodness, this is not good. You realise that she was, so far, one of the most successful Slayers ever? She averted at least four potential apocalypses and the most for any Slayer before her was only two." "Good for her, but why are you telling me this?"  
"It must have been something extremey dangerous to kill her. What if she didn't kill it first?" l  
"Oh, man,"  
"What's going on? Who is Buffy?" Fred asked before they could say anything else. The trio looked through the glass in the lobby doors, and watched as the red-head and Cordelia burst into sobs, whilst Angel looked on stonily.  
"Well..." Wesley said...  
*~*~*~*  
Cordy and Angel listened attentively as Willow told them of Glory, the Hellgod looking for the 'Key' to the dimensional portals so she could find her way back home. She told them of Buffy's discovery of the fact the the 'Key' wasn't a physical object, but pure energy, and that the monks had sent the key to Buffy, for protection, just a few months before. In the form of a sister. How the monks had magically created memories, for everyone who knew the Summers family, of Dawn Summers, the 'Key'. She told them of the Knights of Byzantium, she told them of Tara being attacked and made insane by Glory, and then accidentally alerting the hellgod to the fact that Dawn was the 'Key'. She told them of the 'Scoobies' getaway and how the Knights attacked them. She told them of Glory's kidnap of Dawn, and Buffy's fear induced coma. She told them of Buffy's adamant refusal to kill Dawn for the world. She told the of the final battle, how they would've escaped away unscathed (sort of), if not for Doc. She related Buffy's final words, which Dawn had repeated to them all, and the beautiful swan dive off the tower. She quietly told Angel that Dawn had said that, as Buffy turned to run, she was sure she saw her mouth form the word Angel, indicating that her last thoughts were of him. The entire tale took around two hours, not including the parts where Willow couldn't talk through her tears. When she had finished, Angel stood up abruptly and asked if either of them would like some coffee. When they both declined politely, giving each other worried sidelong glances, he ignored them and went into the kitchen anyway. Suddenly, there was a sound of breaking glass, and Cordy rushed to the kitchen in a panic. What she saw there made her freeze though, Angel, curled into a fetal position on the floor, surrounded by milk and broken glass, sobbing desperately, as though the world was ending. Which for him, Cordy figured, it was. She backed out of the kitchen silently, and waited with Willow for him to emerge. When he did leave the kitchen fifteen minutes later,coffeeless, he said a quick goodbye to Willow and then silently went upstairs to his room. Later, when Cordy, Gunn, Wesley and Fred looked in on him, he was led, unmoving on his bed, his eyes wide open, but unseeing, and his face a mask of agony. They handcuffed him to the bed and he didn't even seem to notice them. The had to force-feed him for the next two weeks, literally pouring the blood down his throat. He didn't sleep or move once. He had even stopped breathing, which he usually did because he liked to feel human. Then one day, he calmly asked them to remove his handcuffs and then left for the monastery in Tibet, where he stayed for three months.  
*~*~*~*  
I have nightmares about her death. They're horrible. I see her body, sometimes crushed and mangled, other times with demons tearing her apart. She is always terrified. A look that I have not seen on her very many times. In fact, the only times I can remember are our first kiss, when I turned, and when Faith shot me with that poisoned arrow and I wouldn't drink from her. Slowly, I made my way towards the stairs. I felt weird. Like I used to feel when she was near me, a tingling in the pit of my stomach, only different. I hadn't felt that since her mother's funeral, when I last saw her, and now it threw me. I paused on the stairs, hearing Cordy's voice, raised in anger, coming from the front doors of the Hyperion.  
"Four weeks?!" she was shouting, "You've kept this from us - from him, for a whole month? I cannot believe you! Have you any idea what he's been going through, is still going through? He has been so depressed since she d- " Cordy's voice broke in grief momentarily, before she continued with her furious tirade, "and for the last four weeks you've had the one thing that could cheer him up and you kept it a secret?..."  
Cordy's voice faded from my mind as I thought to myself that the only thing that would cheer me up was... 'oh god ' They wouldn't have done, would they? It's impossible. And even if it was possible, they would definitely have told me. All coherent thought was ripped from my brain as a quiet voice shattered my reverie.  
"Please can I see him, Cordy?" It was a voice that I had been praying to hear for months, but had never expected to hear again. 'Buffy ' She sounded so unhappy that it was all I could do not to rush to her and sweep her off her feet - wait? What was stopping me from doing just that? Suddenly I was moving, faster than I thought possible for even vampires to move. I all but flew down the stairs and across the lobby. I dived over the two sofa's and the coffee table without pausing and slammed into the main doors,which were not quite closed, smashing them into pieces. I barreled between Cordy and Wesley, who were stood side by side, blocking my view of the group in front of them, and knocked them flying. The group of people consisted of Giles, Willow, Dawn, Xander, that annoying girlfriend of his - what's her name? - Anya, a shy looking girl holding Willow's hand, Tara, probably and Spike? I came to a stop in front of the last person and froze completely.  
"Buffy?" I whispered, "Cordy, please tell me she's real," I murmured. Cordelia was about to reply when Buffy dived into my arms and fused her own lips to mine in the most mind-blowng kiss we'd ever shared, Hell, the most mind-blowing kiss I'd ever experienced, full stop. After what seemed like an eternity, we broke apart, and she just had time to smile up at me and whisper, "I'm real," before we were attatched again.  
"Evenin' y'all. Hey, did Angel finally get over that dead Slayer gal, to be suckin' face wit' that blonde chick? Oh Willow, hey, watcha doin' here, witchy-gal?" Gunn called as he walked up to the Hyperion-finally, and noticed first me and Buffy, and then Willow, who he recognised. I pulled away from Buffy to glare at him.  
"Watcha lookin' at me like that for?" he asked, and then he twigged, "wait just one moment. Willow, is - was dead Slayer gal's best friend. Angel, who was deeply depressed about dead Slayer gal last night is happily suckin' face wit' strange blonde chick. Dead Slayer gal was blonde...Hey!" he said in shock, pointing at Buffy, "You're dead Slayer gal... or not? Huh?"  
She grinned at him playfully and called to the others, "Clueless black man needing backstory at three o'clock," She giggled at the puzzled look on his face and explained  
"I died, went to Heav- Hell -Hell. I went to Hell. Willow missed me, Sunnydale needed me, so my little Wicca worked her mojo on my grave and voila! Instant Buffy," She giggled at me and, ignoring my frown, she kissed me again. I pulled away. "Wanna see the hotel? You'll like my training room," I asked her, trying to keep my voice steady, remembering how much she liked seeing the weapons and things in training rooms. Her face lit up in surprise and delight.  
"Oooh, goody," she giggled. I took her hand in mine and practically dragged her into the hotel and down into the training room. I had remembered that I was furious with her for giving up. She noticed my anger and pulled her hand away, looking at me defiantly. She flicked her over her shoulder and took on a defiant posture.  
"Wanna spar?" she asked, innocently, but with a sly grin.  
"Sure," I said shortly. I looked up in time to see Spike's lips forming the words 'she gave up', and I growled when I saw him smirk. Everyone had come to watch one of our famous 'dances'.  
"C'mon then, lets get it on," she said, running her hands over her body quickly, but in a very Faith-like way that she knew would affect me, and assuming a fighting stance.  
I narrowed my eyes, growled and threw a punch at her. She blocked it and smirked at me, "Missed me,"  
She was still holding my arm as she brought her knee up to my groin. I wrenched my hand away and grabbed her knee, a second before it would have hit me. I threw my arm up and she flew up into the air and slammed into the wall. She paused for a moment, winded, and looked at me in shock. I had never purposely hurt her before. Ever. She glared at me furiously, took a deep breath and attacked with a flying roundhouse kick that would have come close to beheading me if I hadn't grabbed her ankle and yanked. Hard. She landed with a bump that made me wince inwardly. I didn't like hurting her, but I was mad.  
"Ooof!" she gasped as the wind was knocked out of her a second time. The spectators looked on in shock at the display, unable to understand why I was hurting her. All except Spike, who just lent against the wall, smirking, with a cigarette in his mouth.  
She flipped herself up and threw a furious punch at me. It hit the side of my head, and I retaliated with a vicious uppercut. Her head snapped back and there was an audible crack as blood began to pour from her nose. Everyone gasped in shock, including her and myself. I had broken her nose.  
"Oops," I said, shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly.  
"What is wrong with you!?" she exploded furiously, "You should be happy- " She paused as Cordy cut her off with  
"Not too happy, cuz y'know..." she trailed of under our furious stares and flinched as Buffy furiously yelled "Shut up, Cordelia! You should be happy that I'm back from the dead. In fact, from what Cordy was yelling at us when we arrived, you should be so happy that Angelus should be annoying me right now! What did I do?"  
"What did you do?" I yelled back fiercely, "You gave up is what you did! You gave up and left me!"  
"I left you?" she cried in complete disbelief, "Oh, of course. I left you! What, are we just going to pretend that the three years that you've lived in L.A. without me never happened? Three years that you gave up to let me have a 'normal life', cuz, y'know, being the Slayer doesn't stop me from having a normal life at all?!"  
"I moved a couple towns over, Buffy, not into the next life!" I yelled back at her.  
"You left me! You said you loved me, that we'd be together forever! You always promised me forever, and then ripped my heart up by leaving or doing something stupid like giving up your humanity!"  
I froze in shock.  
"Oh, shit," I heard Cordy mutter  
"You - you remember?" I gasped  
"I promised you that I'd never forget. Didn't you believe me?" she asked softly.  
My mind flashed back to that day. Our perfect day when I was human and we were together. I remembered our conversation from when I told her that I was going to be turned back.  
*~*~*~*  
Angel walked down the stairs of his apartment to find Buffy waiting for him at the bottom.  
"I'm guessing that expression isn't because they were all out of fresh OJ at the deli. What happened?" Buffy asked him.  
"Nothing happened. I just -" Angel was cut off by his lover.  
"Where have you been?"  
"I went to see the Oracles. I asked them to turn me back."  
"What? Why?"  
"Because more than ever I know how much I love you," Buffy began to back away from him and he walked forward to stay with her.  
"No. No, you didn't,"  
"And if I stayed mortal, one of us would wind up dead. Maybe both of us. You heard what Morah said."  
"Morah's dead! We killed him!"  
"He said that others would come."  
"They always come. And they always will. But that's my problem now, not yours, remember?"  
"No. I won't just stand by and watch you fight, maybe die, alone!" Angel said, shaking his heard for emphasis.  
"Then we fight together!"  
"You saw what happened last night. If anything, I'm a liability to you. You take chances to protect me, and that's not just bad for you, it's bad for the people we were meant to help."  
"So - What? You just took a whole 24 hours to weigh the ups and downs of being a regular Joe, and decided it was more fun being a superhero?"  
"You know that's not it. How can we be together if the cost is your life, or the lives of others?" Buffy stared at him for a moment, and then he wrapped her in his arms as she bumped her head against his chest. "I couldn't tell you," he continued, "I wasn't sure if I could do it if I woke up with you one more morning."  
"I understand," Buffy sniffled against his chest in a tiny voice, "So - what happens now?"  
"The Oracles are giving us back the day. Turning back time so I can kill Morah before his blood makes me mortal," She looked up at him, and asked  
"When?" Angel looked at the clock.  
"Another minute,"  
"A minute? No. No, it's not enough time!" she said, crying.  
"We don't have a choice. It's done." Buffy looked up at him, her face crumpled.  
"How am I supposed to go on with my life? Knowing what we had, what we could've had?"  
"You won't. No one will know but me."  
"Everything we did?" she whispered.  
"It never happened." She shook her head frantically.  
"It did! It did! I know it did!" she placed her hand above his heart, "I felt your heart beat," she whispered brokenly.  
"Buffy..." Angel said in a pained voice. She pressed her lips to his in a urgent kiss. They broke apart and Buffy looked at the clock to see that the minute was almost up.  
"No!" she cried, moving from foot to foot, "Oh, God! It's not enough time!" Angel began to cry too,  
"Shh," he whispered, "Please, Please," they hugged tightly and Buffy placed her mouth next to his ear.  
"I'll never forget. I'll never forget. I'll never forget. I'll never forget." There was a flash of bright white and they were back in his office, a day before.  
*~*~*~*  
"You knew? All the time?" I asked, quietly.  
"No. I dreamed about it a lot, but I thought they were just dreams. I remembered as I jumped off the tower. When I died." she said  
"You weren't supposed to remember. I - I'm so sorry." I said dumbly,  
"It's okay. I understand why you didn't tell me," she murmered.  
"Died? Gave up, you mean?" I said, remembering that we were in the middle of a heated argument.  
"Yeah. So?"  
"So? You just gave up! Even though you told me to fight! You always told me to fight!"  
"I said we'd fight together! " she screamed at me, and then she sort of deflated, and sank to the floor. I rushed to catch her, and she collapsed, sobbing, into my arms.  
"I said we'd fight together," she whispered, brokenly. "I didn't say I wanted to do it on my own. I didn't say that I wanted to go through college and Parker and the Initiative and Adam and my mom and Dawn 'the Key' and Glory and everything alone, did I?  
"You - you weren't alone," muttered, "You had Giles and Xander and Anya and Willow and Tara and - " I gulped, hating his name, even though he was long gone, " and Riley," she smiled slightly at my hesitation to say his name.  
"Riley - schmiley," she whispered, "You weren't there. You weren't there and you should have been!"  
"You know why I had to leave. You needed someone who could make you happy,"  
"Angel, you are what makes me happy. Look, I wasn't in Hell alright, I was in Heaven" she paused as everone except me gasped in shock. I had heard her earlier, I'd figured it out already.  
"You know what Heaven's like? In Heaven, you are given the one thing in the world that would make you happiest. Not what you think would make you happy, what they know would make you happy. Like, for instance, some people think that being rich will make them happiest, yeah? Well, you only get money if it really will make you happy, no matter what you think. You know what I had? The one thing that I knew would make me the happiest I could be. Angel, in Heaven, I was with you. Not someone who can give me daylight and children and picnics. I don't want that if it's with someone who isn't you. You promised me that you'd always be there for me!"  
"And I will be," I said  
"No, you won't. You say you will, and you might even want to be, but you won't be really. You'll be here, with your life and your friends, in L.A., and I'll be in Sunnydale, with mine. Until I give up again because I'm not with you."  
"You won't give up and you will be with me. We can do the long distance thing,"  
"See there you -" She stopped, mid-sentence, "What?" she gasped, her eyes filled with both hope and fear.  
I nodded, smiling slightly, and gently pressed my lips to her forehead. She lifted her face before my lips touched, and I found myself drowning in her lips again. Her hands moved up to run through my hair, and I spread my hands across her tiny back, smiling slightly as she sighed happily into my mouth.  
"This is where I belong," she whispered against my lips. I nodded and continued the kiss.  
"Aw hell, Slayer, you stupid bint!" Spike cried, outraged, "He just broke your nose! You're supposed to be pissed at the fact that he hates you for giving up on him, and come running to me for comfort and sex!"  
Everyone else just looked at him, shocked and puzzled expressions in place. Buffy and I gazed at him in disgust and anger.  
"What?" she asked incredulously. I growled slightly, low in my throat. What was going on here? She flashed me a small grin.  
"He's in love with me," she explained. I exploded.  
"What?" I yelled, shooting up from the floor and pinning Spike to the wall by his neck.  
"Hey," he choked "Leggo, Angelus!" Buffy giggled at the scene for a minute or two, along with the rest of the 'Scooby Gang'.  
"Why's he so mad? Angel's not supposed to hurt people. Buffy's pretty and seems nice, why shouldn't this man be in love with her?" I heard Fred ask.  
"Slayer, get the bugger off of me!" Spike gurgled as he vamped out.  
"Ohh," Fred murmured  
"Angel, he's twisted. Okay, that's out in the open. Let him go, I like teasing him about being impotent." Buffy giggled at me. I looked at her, puzzled.  
"Ohh!" Willow gasped, "Buffy, Angel doesn't know!"  
"Know?" I asked  
"The Initiative gave 'im a brain chip. He can't hurt anything human. Or anything with a human soul," Buffy smirked happily.  
I grinned and let Spike drop to the floor, ignoring him completely I went back to Buffy.  
"I'll never hate you, y'know," she said as she crawled onto my lap. I looked at her, confused. "Just in case you feel the need to leave me again, to prevent us both from the pain of me waking up one day and hating you for holding me back. I'll die before I get old enough for that to happen anyway, even if it was possible for that to happen,"  
I thought about arguing with her about the dying thing, but I knew there was no point.  
"I'm that readable, huh?"  
"Totally!" All of the 'Scooby Gang' who were there when I left chorused. I grinned as Buffy melded her body as close to mine as possible whilst we were fully clothed, and attatched her lips to mine again. I heard Willow cough nervously and mumble,  
"We'll just be going, then, shall we?" as everyone trailed out of the room. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh, hi Angel," said Cordelia as she walked into the lobby of the Hyperion,  
"Hi, Cordelia, had fun shopping? Hey, where are Giles and Wesley?" I asked, looking around the group and noting that the two englishmen were missing.  
"They went to look through some books," said Xander, "Y'know give each other all the English, watcherly gossip." Anya tapped Xander's leg and whispered something to him. He blushed slightly "Not now, Ahn. You only go to bed in the middle of the day if you're really - um - tired." he said. Just then, Buffy appeared at the top of the stairs, rubbing her eyes sleepily.  
"Angel? Y'know, that bed of yours is quite big. Too big for me, all on my lonesome," she called down to me. I walked up the stairs towards her, ignoring everyone's amused looks, and followed her into my bedroom. I heard Gunn give a cough that sounded distinctly like 'whipped' as I reached the top of the stairs.  
"They're going to have sex, Xander," Anya said, petulantly, "Why can't we?" Xander turned bright red again.  
"They aren't going to have sex. They can't, and neither can we."  
"Why?"  
"Umm...because it's Angel's hotel?" he tried, but she wasn't having it. "Okay, Ahn, let's go for a walk on the beach or something?" she sighed in annoyance  
"Oh, okay," she said, and the two of them left the hotel.  
"Well, they're an interesting couple." said Fred.  
"Yeah, she's probably the only girl Xander could - Aaaargh!" Cordelia screamed and pitched forward violently as she was hit by an extremely painful vision. Gunn rushed to catch her as she fell.  
"What do you see?" he asked her in a concerned voice.  
"The End of Days!" she gasped before falling into a dead faint.  
*~*~*~*  
Cordelia was perched on the edge of one of the sofas in the lobby. In her shaking hands she held a glass of water and some painkillers. Sat around her was the whole gang; myself, with Buffy on my lap, Gunn, Fred, Wesley, Giles, Willow, Tara, Dawn, Xander, Anya and Spike.  
"We were in Sunnydale. All of us, Faith and -" Cordelia glanced at Willow swiftly as she spoke, "Oz were there as well. We - we were all stood outside the burnt out High School, and, erm, there was a huge explosion. It smelt horrible and it was hot, so hot. I thought I was melting. Then, erm, all these demons came flooding out of the school. Loads of demons, hundreds of them. Lot's of Morah demons as well. At the front were all the big bads that we've faced, the Master, and the Mayor, and Darla and Vocah and a really ugly frankenstein type thing - "  
"Adam," said everyone from Sunnydale, cutting of Cordelia mid - sentence. She glared at them irritably before continuing,  
"And this majorly pissed off looking chick with frizzy hair - "  
"Glory," they all said. Buffy tensed at the mention of the hellgod's name, and I tightened my arms around her and breathed a kiss over the pulse point in her neck. Cordelia frowned at the 'Scoobies'.  
"Excuse me? Whose painful vision was this?"  
"Sorry,"  
"And- Angeus was there," Buffy's eyes teared up and she clung to me. "But Angel was there too. It was weird. Then we all started to fight, and then Sunnydale disappeared and there was this bright flash then I was in this white, like, really white room with four people in it they were looking at me. Umm...they were...I saw Ms Calen - Jenny Calendar," she paused, looking at me and Giles as we both stiffened. Buffy brought my hand up to her mouth and kissed it reassuringly. "and this badly dressed guy from Boston wearing a fedora - "  
"Whistler," Buffy and I said at the same time. I was about to ask how Buffy knew him when Cordy cleared her throat in annoyance.  
"And the Oracles and-" Cordelia's voice broke slightly as she continued, "And D...Doyle and they all stared at me and started chanting this freaky verse thing...oh, what was it? Umm...  
'14 shall rise, after they fell,  
To meet up with the 2.  
The ones they left have gained more strength  
To fight the final battle.  
16 Warriors, bound together  
To protect the World.  
The side of the light will be led  
By the strongest One, and her Angel.  
Fighting side by side with Hope and Faith,  
Backed by the Rising Sun.  
Tree and Heart and Wolf  
Sister and Saint and Seers.  
The Fool and Father and Brother.  
The Turned and the Weapon,  
Hope's fine 4 will join with them,  
Watcher wise and Charmed one,  
Virgin and Disciple.  
21 Stars to fight for Light  
Above the Mouth of Hell.  
They must not fail  
To win the War  
and end the Army's tale.'  
  
And then it showed us again, fighting, and- and Doyle was with us, but there were five other people and it was weird. Like, in the future or something. It was beyond freaky." Cordelia finished her tale and leant into the back of the sofa, exhausted.  
"I've read that before." said Giles, "That poem, it's a prophecy - "  
"Well, duh?" said Buffy.  
"It's said to be on of the prophecies about the End of Days. The true final battle. There are a few, though nobody is quite sure which is the true one,"  
As everyone sat there in a stunned silence, the doorbell rang. Everyone jumped as the chime echoed throughout the hotel and Wesley went to answer it.  
"Hey. Wesley. Don't suppose everyone's in there are they?"  
"Oz!" cried Willow, jumping to her feet and running to the door. "Why are you here?"  
"Hey, Will. I have no idea. I was in New York and I had this dream. Two shiny people came up to me and said something about a big fight and stuff. Seemed important. I figured that the only people they could be on about are you guys and so, here I am. I went to Sunnydale first...but the Slayer was out of town." he told everone as he came in and sat down. "Hey Giles, Xander, Anya, Tara. Cordelia. People I don't know. Hey, Buffy, Angel. Back together?" Buffy nodded happily and Oz smiled at her. "Good for you,"  
"Oz, that's Gunn and Fred," I told him, gesturing to each of them, "Guys, this is Oz,"  
"Hello Oz, We were expecting you to turn up." said Giles,  
"We were?" asked Buffy in surprise. Giles glared at her.  
"Hush, Buffy. Right well. I imagine that it refers to each of us and well, 5 others. Who could they be?"  
"First," I said, "We have to find out who we are,"  
"Yes, yes. Of course. Well, I would imagine that 'The strongest One and her Angel' are you, Buffy, and Angel."  
"Strongest one?" she asked, confused.  
"No," I explained, "strongest One. The Chosen One, so it means the strongest Slayer. You."  
"Cool,"  
"I'm the Saint," said Anya, "The Patron Saint of Scorned Women. Ex,"  
"I'm the Sister," said Dawn  
"Ooh, Willow's the Tree!" said Buffy  
"Does that mean that Tara is the Charmed One?" asked Willow.  
"Possibly," said Wesley, "Oz is the Wolf, obviously,"  
"precious Faith is probably Psycotic Slayer," said Cordelia, "And I'm a Seer,"  
"Gunn's the Weapon, and Giles is the Father." said Buffy, "Wesley's probably the Watcher?"  
"Probably," said Giles, "That leaves Xander, Fred and Spike, no?"  
"Xander's the fool," said Buffy, smiling at her friend.  
"Hey!" he said, "Why?"  
"It means Fool like Clown, Xander," I explained  
"Oh. Okay,"  
"I reckon I'm the Turned One," said Spike, "Cos of the chip, y'know, I've turned to your side,"  
"Yes, that would make sense," said Giles  
"What about me?" asked Fred. Everyone looked at the poem, trying to think which one could be Fred.  
"Well, how about if Fred's the Sister, cuz we all think of her as a Sister, and she is next to me," suggested Cordelia.  
"But what about Dawn?" asked Tara, "Oh, actually. Yes, I think Cordelia is right,"  
"Huh?" asked Dawn in confusion.  
"Dawnie, you're the Rising Sun," Tara explained.  
"So...who's the other Seer?" asked Xander  
Cordelia breathed in deeply, I looked at her, knowing what she was thinking.  
"I...I think it could mean...well, D...doyle was a Seer, and he was in my vision, so maybe him?  
"What about the others? Who are they? Where are they?" asked Buffy.  
"They're from the future." guessed Fred, " "It says '13 shall rise, after they fell, To meet up with the 2. It kinda makes sense?"  
"Yes, well done Fred," Wesley beamed at the shy Texan girl. "I think that someone, probably Hope, is the Slayer of the time," he continued, "And the Watcher is her Watcher. I'm likely to be the Brother, no?"  
"Yes!" said Gunn  
"I - I think I'm the Heart," said Tara nervously, "And the Charmed One is one of Hope's friends,"  
"Yes, you're the heart because you're so kind and loving! All heart," said Buffy, smiling at Tara, "Not to mention clever." Tara smiled shyly at everyone.  
"So, the Slayer at the time, along with 4 of her friends, are Hope, the Watcher, the Virgin, the Charmed One and the Disciple?" asked Willow. Everyone agreed with her and she smiled, "Cool,"  
"I think we should start training. For our battle. The one in Sunnydale," said Buffy. I bent my head down and whispered in her ear.  
"I've got to pick Faith up. She's on parole for good behavior. Do you want to come with me?"  
"Umm... " Buffy said, unsure.  
"And you can only come if you promise not to kill her on sight or 'beat her to death' when she apologises," I added, smirking.  
"Okay, but I'm not gonna talk to her. I'm only coming because I want to stay with you. But I promise not to beat her to death. I'll accept her apology,"  
"Good girl," I said, kissing her. We stood up together.  
"We're going out," Buffy announced, "We'll be back later." before anyone could ask where we were going, I'd grabbed my car keys and we'd headed out of the door.  
"I agree with Buffy," Cordelia announced, "Training is a plan." 


	3. Chapter 3

.  
Faith's POV  
'Faith, your lift's due in five minutes, get your butt out here and follow me!"  
I looked up at 'Butch Bill', the stupid jerk of a screw who thought he was some bigshot just because he was promoted a few weeks before. Loser. I hate him. He never stopped either acting like he owned me or coming on to me.  
'Like I'd screw some fat slob like him,'  
I couldn't wait to get away from him. Away from this whole stinkin' place. Angel would be there any minute to pick me up and take me out of this shithole. I couldn't wait. I grabbed my bag and followed Bill down the hall, keeping my head down to avoid looking at the discoloured pink walls. I wrapped my arms round myself, thanking whatever God was listening to me for finally being allowed to wear my own clothes. Bill opened the door to a dull grey room and I went in. The room contained two brown plastic chairs and another door, opposite to the one I entered through. One of the chairs was occupied by another prison warden, she was new and I didn't know her name. Thank God I didn't have to stay to find out. I glanced at her then sat on the other chair, still clutching the clear plastic bag that contained my few belongings, facing the door I'd be leaving by.  
'Shit, hurry up Angel,'  
I couldn't stand the silence, I felt like I was suffocating. A noise came from the door facing me. My head shot up and I watched in nervous anticipation as the handle turned. I breathed in deeply.  
'I'm getting out of here!'  
I stood up quickly as the sexy, souled vampire who was my redemption walked in.  
"Hi, Ang-" I choked on my own words and my bag fell from my hands as my eyes landed on the petite blonde girl following him. He half-smiled at me whilst she looked around the room nervously.  
'Buffy'  
"Shit," I gasped.  
*~*~*~*  
Buffy's POV  
"Shit,"  
I looked up at Faith's quiet gasp and Angel squeezed my hand gently.  
"Hi, Faith," he said quietly, "How you doing?" I looked at her and noticed that her face had turned to the colour of ashes.  
'She didn't know I was back,' I thought absently as I looked at Angel. He nodded at me, a movement so small I almost didn't percieve it. I looked back at Faith and stepped back slightly as she started to hyperventilate. Angel walked over to her and placed his hands firmly - but gently - on her shoulders.  
"Faith," he said, "Come on, Faith. It's okay." She looked up at him with her eyes wide and her lower lip trembled slightly. This was a vulnerability I didn't know Faith had in her, and it unnerved me. I wrapped my arms around myself, swallowing nervously as I watched her slowly turn her face towards me.  
"Buffy," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Angel whisper something to the police lady and she left the room.  
"Oh, my god. Buffy...you-" she looked at Angel, "She - she's alive?" He nodded and mouthed 'Willow' before nodding in my direction. She looked at me again and a tear spilled from her left eye. I watched as it forged a path down her pale cheek and was joined by another.  
"Buffy...I - oh, god -" she gulped, "I...I - I'm so, so sorry. I..." I watched as another tear spilt from her eye, then I reached over and gently wiped it from her cheek with my thumb.  
"Hi, Faith," I whispered, "You okay?" She gulped again and a few more tears joined the few stray ones on her face. I smiled at her gently before bending my head and planting a soft kiss on her damp cheek. I wrapped my arms round her as she sobbed into my shoulder. I knew it was gonna be a while before we worked through everything that had happened, but I knew that she was sorry for everything that she did to me, and I knew she grieved when I died, and I knew that she was my sister-slayer and I loved her. I knew that I forgave her.  
*~*~*~*  
Angel's POV  
I watched as Buffy comforted her sister-slayer and I smiled. God, how I love that woman. She's so strong. I wasn't sure at first whether bringing Buffy with me to collect Faith was a good idea, but I saw now that it was. They both needed the closure, and I could see the happy little smile playing around Buffy's lips as she bent her head to whisper in Faith's ear.  
"Ready to go?" my enhanced vampiric hearing picked up Buffy's quiet words and I watched as Faith lifted her tear-stained face from Buffy's shoulder. She nodded weakly and I moved to open the door. We went through and paused at the desk. An officer asked Faith and myself to sign the release papers and handed us a pen each. I looked up to give the papers back after signing them and found the officer gazing at Buffy. I growled possesively and Buffy looked up and giggled at me  
'I love you,' she mouthed at me as she blew me a kiss. I heard Faith chuckle wryly and I glared and slammed my pen down on the desk to catch the officer's attention.  
"Oh, um. Sorry. Yes, okay...erm...Faith. You're free to go. Be good."  
"Come on, Faith-y," Buffy smiled at her before grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the door. She stopped suddenly as she ran right into a blonde woman who was just coming into the police department.  
"Oooh, I'm sorry!" she gasped nervously, "We- we were in a rush, sorry,""  
"Angel. Faith? Hey," said the woman in surprise.  
"Angel? Faith? You know her? Oh, my god! It's you. You're the bitch who- " I hurriedly placed my hand over Buffy's mouth and smiled at Kate.  
"Sweetie, it's okay. Hey, Kate. How you doing?"  
"I'm good, you?"  
"Never been better. What are you doing here? Got a job yet?" Kate glared at me and ignored my question.  
"Why are you here? What's she doing?" Kate sneered at Faith.  
"She's getting out early. Good behavior. Now could you excuse me? There's a nasty smell round here," Buffy smiled sweetly up at Kate before stepping past her without a second glance. Faith smiled at me befoe following Buffy outside.  
"We'll wait by the car, Angel-face," she called to me over her shoulder.  
"What a cheeky, stuck up little -" Kate broke off mid-sentence as she heard my quiet grow. "Angel?"  
"That's Buffy. My girlfriend."  
"Oh. I thought you said she was nobody? Not anymore?" I narrowed my eyes at her. "Okaay. What's her deal, then? She think I'm a threat? Worried that you might like me better than her?"  
"I very much doubt it. I think she's still slightly pissed off about the fact that when you met, you threatened to have me locked in a cell facing east. There is a fair chance that she'd kill you if I wasn't here to stop her. She doesn't seem to appreciate people threatening my unlife,"  
"Yeah, okay. I don't really think that that stuck-up little blonde girl could really hurt me,"  
"That 'stuck-up little blonde girl' just happens to be the most successful Vampire Slayer to date,"  
Kate and I turned our heads at the sound of Faith's voice and saw the two vampire slayers standing there, both looking very pissed off. I smiled at Faith then walked over to Buffy and kissed her. She relaxed against me and sighed into my lips happily before wrapping her arms around the back of my neck and running her hands through my hair. I spread my hands across her small back and deepened the kiss.  
"Ahem, Angel? B?" We broke apart at the sound of Faith's voice. I noticed that she looked a lot less nervous than she had before she and Buffy had gone outside. I guessed that Buffy had explained all about her ressurection. Buffy and I grinned at Faith sheepishly.  
"God, you finally got back together twenty-four hours ago and it's already with the PDA's." Faith smirked, then her face dropped and she gasped. "Oh, my god. Kill me now, I sound like Cordelia," Buffy giggled by my side and I smiled at her.  
"Back together?" asked Kate, "Some nobody," Buffy narrowed her eyes, first at Kate then at me. Then her eyes filled with tears and she took a step away from me.  
"Buffy? Sweetheart? What's up?"  
"Oh, god," she whimpered, "I- I'm so sorry. What I said to you that day...it- it was unacceptable. I never meant any of it. I never loved Riley, and I'm so, so sorry. You- you've got to-"  
I cut her off mid-sentence as I pressed my lips to hers in a gentle kiss.  
"I love you," I whispered into her ear. She smiled at me.  
"Are you coming back to the hotel now? Or are you staying with her?" Buffy asked, glaring in Kate's direction.  
"I think we'll go back to the Hyperion, ionuin," I said as I led her towards the exit, "Come on, Faith. Bye Kate,"  
"Hey, guys? Can we go for some food, first? I'm desperate for some none- prison food." Buffy and Angel chuckled,  
"Sure, Faith. Come on,"  
*~*~*~*  
  
"So, um, where has Buffy gone?" Cordelia rolled her eyes and sighed.  
"For the fifth time, Dawn, I don't know! Now would you stop asking me?"  
"Sor-ree. God, I'm so bored. I thought were were training, not looking up prophecies in musty old books,"  
"Because, when Buffy and Angel left we realised that research usually comes before training, Dawnie," said Tara patiently, "So, we're researching, okay?"  
The Scooby Gang and the A:I gang were all scattered around the lobby of the Hyperion with piles of books here and there. They had been looking for information on the Prophecy for three hours or more and still hadn't found anything of any use, and they were all getting fed up.  
"The little bit's right, though. Where have the Slayer and the Poufter gone? They've been gone for hours," said Spike as he stubbed his latest cigarette out on Angel's coffee table.  
"Fear not, oh Chipped One. We're back!" called Buffy as she entered the hotel with Faith and Angel, giggling over a joke Faith had just told them.  
"What's she doing here? Asked Xander in disgust as he looked at Faith.  
"She's on parole. Come on, Faith. We'll find a room for your stuff, and then we'll get with the training, kay?" Faith nodded, nervous again, as she tried to ignore all the accusing stares that were aimed at her. "Angel, could you go sort the training room out?" Buffy asked as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then dashed up the stairs. She reappeared five seconds later with a grin on her face. "Forgot my stuff," she explained, "Angel, I'm moving Faith into the room next door to our room, kay?" she grinned before disappearing again.  
"Our room?" Asked Cordelia "You and Buffy are sharing a room? Oh, nononono. I do not want a visit from Angelus. You are not sharing a room with her, not no way, no how!" Angel raised and eyebrow at her.  
"And you'll be stopping us, how?"  
"Why the hell is Faith here?!" exploded Willow before Cordelia could reply. Everyone turned to look at the normally sedate redheaded wiccan, shocked by her outburst.  
"Buffy told you. She- she's on parole," Angel told her, "Buffy and I just went to collect her."  
"And is there nowhere else for her to stay?"  
"Well, there's plenty of space for her here, so here's where she's staying."  
"Angel! Are you thinking about Buffy's feelings at all? How do you think Buffy will feel, knowing that you've invited Faith into your home? After everything Faith did to her? God, you disgust me," finished Willow, looking at Angel as if he was something nasty she's found on the bottom of her shoe.  
"Uh, Will?" said Oz, "Buffy didn't seem too bothered earlier. Y'know, when she was moving Faith into the suite next door to hers and Angels."  
"She put her there because she doesn't trust her. Why else?" cried Willow, glaring at Angel. Just at that moment, Buffy came bounding down the stairs, chattering happily to Faith who was following her, looking slightly nervous at the prospect of facing Buffy's friends.  
"So then he said to me 'Why did you kill my brother, bitch'? And I'm stood there coverd in gloop from the demon and... Oh! Hiya, guys." Buffy broke off mid-sentence as she noticed the group of people in the lobby standing around, looking tense. "Hey, baby," she said as she made her way to his side and pressed her lips to his in a sweet kiss. "What's going on? Will, what's up?" she said, noticing the look on her best friend's face.  
"How can you still want to kiss him after he's brought her into his home?" Willow spat as she turned her glare onto the brunette Slayer.  
"Willow? Guys? Okay, calm down. Faith isn't a psycho crazy-killer bitch anymore, remember? Sorry 'bout that description, Faith," said Buffy, shooting an apologetic glance at the nervous brunette.  
"No, that's a fair description, I was a psycho crazy-killer bitch,"  
"Buffy? How can you even stand to be near her, never mind talk ot her?" asked Willow in complete disbelief.  
"I'm willing to forgive her. And I think you guys should be too," Both Willow, Xander and Cordelia's mouths dropped open at this simple statement.  
"You- you want us to forgive her? Buffy, how can you even consider that?"  
"Willow, she's sorry for all the harm she caused and she's trying to make amends. Who are we to deny her that right?"  
Faith flashed Buffy a watery half smile and mouthed 'Thanks, B' to the petite blonde. Buffy nodded at her a smiled back as Angel hugged her to his waste, proud of the way she was trating Faith.  
"Well, I, personally, trust your judgement Buffy," said Giles, walking towards Faith. "Welcome back Faith," he said to her, smiling slightly and pulling her into a brief hug. "I'm afraid it my be some time before we will be able to fully forgive you, but I realise that you are sincere in both your apologies and your wish to make amends for your actions. I'm glad to have you back on our team." "Thankyou," Faith smiled at him, her big, dark eyes shining swith tears. "Well, I forgive you too, Faith," said Anya nodding at her. "Well... If Buffy and Angel can forgive you, when nearly all of the bad stuff you did was done to them, then I think I can cope with you. And anyway, we need you for the End of Days fight, according to the Prophecy thingy in my vision," said Cordelia, "So, Willow, Xander, even if you don't forgive her, it's tough."  
"I agree with Cordelia. I forgive you Faith. It's nice to have you back," smiled Dawn, pulling the brunette Slayer into a warm and friendly embrace, which Faith returned gladly, giving Dawn a whisprered 'Thankyou' as they hugged.  
"Well, okay. I'm not saying I forgive her. Just that I'll try not to hate her, and I'll try to treat her civilly or whatever," muttered Xander  
"Yeah, same here," said Willow grudgingly, still looking at Faith with a wary expression marring her sweet features.  
"Ah...yes. Now that that's sorted, could we continue with research into this Propechy? Hmmm?" 


End file.
